outage

American  

[ou-tij] / ˈaʊ tɪdʒ /

noun

• outages
  plural

1. an interruption or failure in the supply of power, especially electricity.

2. the period during which power is lost.

   a two-hour outage on the East Coast.

3. a stoppage in the functioning of a machine or mechanism due to a failure in the supply of power or electricity.

4. the quantity of goods lost or lacking from a shipment.

5. Aeronautics. the amount of fuel used during a flight.

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outage British  

/ ˈaʊtɪdʒ /

noun

1. a quantity of goods missing or lost after storage or shipment

2. a period of power failure, machine stoppage, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• outages
  plural

Etymology

Origin of outage

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05; out + -age

Explanation

An outage is a sudden interruption in a service. An internet outage means you'll have to wait to watch your favorite show online. You may experience a power outage during a hurricane or snowstorm, when you can’t flip on the lights or use the microwave until crews repair the electrical lines. A computer network or server outage can have many causes (sometimes these are scheduled breaks in service, allowing maintenance to be done). Outages can be annoying and inconvenient, or even dangerous. The American coinage outage, first used in 1903, was modeled on shortage.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

outage outages

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander has called the outage "deeply frustrating".

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

Around 90 flights had been diverted because of the outage, he said early Monday afternoon, and delays compounded at Newark and Philadelphia—the hardest-hit airports—with spillover disruptions at the other New York City airports and Boston.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

The country's entire electricity grid suffered "total disconnection" that triggered a nationwide outage, Cuba's energy ministry said.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

The Fed confirmed that part of the system, called the National Information Center, had an outage last month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

With his oiled-back hair and his smooth preacher voice intact, he leaned in close to his bible and kept chugging along, completely unfazed by the power outage.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

The outages which have sometimes lasted 12 to 48 hours have plunged those living in the deeply impoverished country into steaming darkness at night.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

Meanwhile, he said, diesel supplies are tight because of refinery outages following conflicts in the Middle East and Russia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Extreme heat can cause electrical equipment to fail, leading to temporary, unplanned outages, as took place in San Diego this week.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Californians just made it through the hottest August on record without having to endure any rolling power outages.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Kathy had grown up in Baton Rouge and was used to the hurricane routine: the litany of preparations, the waiting and watching, the power outages, the candles and flashlights and buckets catching rain.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

Related Words

• blackout
• brownout
• disruption
• interruption